Massive blood loss is among the main causes of injury-related deaths1,2,3. The loss of circulatory fluid and oxygen carriers leads to hemodynamic failure and severe oxygen undersupply and can cause irreversible organ failure and death. The severity level of shock is influenced by additional factors like hypothermia, coagulopathy, and acidosis4. Particularly the brain, but also the kidneys lack compensation capacity due to high oxygen demand and the incapability of adequate anaerobic energy generation5,6. For therapeutic purposes, fast and immediate action is pivotal. In clinical practice, fluid resuscitation with a balanced electrolyte solution is the first option for treatment, followed by the administration of red blood cell concentrates and fresh frozen plasma. Thrombocyte concentrates, catecholamines, and the optimization of coagulation and the acid-base status support the therapy to regain normal physiological conditions after sustained trauma. This concept focuses on the restoration of hemodynamics and macrocirculation. Several studies, however, show that microcirculatory perfusion does not recover simultaneously with the macrocirculation. Especially, cerebral perfusion remains impaired and further oxygen undersupply may occur7,8.
The use of animal models allows scientists to establish novel or experimental strategies. The comparable anatomy, homology, and physiology of pigs and humans enable conclusions on specific pathological factors. Both species have a similar metabolic system and response to pharmacologic treatments. This is a great advantage in comparison to small animal models where differences in blood volume, hemodynamics, and overall physiology make it almost impossible to mimic a clinical scenario9. Furthermore, authorized medical equipment and consumables can be easily used in porcine models. Additionally, it is easily possible to obtain pigs from commercial suppliers, which allows a high diversity of genetics and phenotypes and is cost reducing10. The model of blood withdrawal via vessel cannulation is quite common11,12,13,14,15.
In this study, we extend the concept of hemorrhagic shock induction via arterial blood withdrawal with an exact titration of hemodynamic failure and cerebral oxygenation impairment. Hemorrhagic shock is achieved if the cardiac index and mean arterial pressure drops below 40% of the baseline value, which has been shown to cause considerable deterioration of the cerebral regional oxygenation saturation8. Pulse contour cardiac output (PiCCO) measurement is used for continuous hemodynamic monitoring. First, the system has to be calibrated by transpulmonary thermodilution, which enables the calculation of the cardiac index of the extravascular lung water content and the global end-diastolic volume. Subsequently, the continuous cardiac index is calculated by pulse contour analysis and also provides dynamic preload parameters like pulse pressure and stroke volume variation.
This technique is well established in clinical and experimental settings.Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a clinically and experimentally established method to monitor changes in cerebral oxygen supply in real-time. Self-adherent sensors are attached to the left and right forehead and calculate the cerebral oxygenation non-invasively in the cerebral frontal cortex. Two wavelengths of infrared light (700 and 900 nm) are emitted and detected by the sensors after being reflected from the cortex tissue. To assess the cerebral oxygen content, contributions of arterial and venous blood are calculated in 1:3 relations and updated in 5 s intervals. The sensitivity in depth of 1-4 cm is exponential decreasing and influenced by the penetrated tissue (e.g., skin and bone), although the skull is translucent to infrared light. The technique facilitates quick therapeutic actions to prevent patients from adverse outcomes like delirium or hypoxic cerebral injury and serves as the target parameter in case of impaired cardiac output16,17. The combination of both techniques during experimental shock enables an exact titration of macrocirculation, as well as cerebral microcirculatory impairment, to study this life-threatening event.